Grace on the road to power

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is - quite literally - paving the way for his wife's ascent to power.

Harare residents awoke yesterday to find they had a new street, Dr Grace Mugabe Way, leading to the conference centre at which Africa's oldest leader might this week anoint his political successor.

His Zanu-PF party is holding a crucial elective congress this week.

The controversial awarding of a doctorate to Grace Mugabe in September, scathing attacks on Vice-President Joice Mujuru and admissions of political ambition have stirred talk that Mugabe is planning to keep the leadership in the family.

"Some say I want to be president. Why not? Am I not Zimbabwean?" she said at one of a series of rallies designed to cement her popularity, but also raising the possibility of post-Mugabe in-fighting and instability.

The biggest casualty has been Mujuru, who has been accused by Grace and the state media, in what analysts say is a smear campaign, of corruption and of plotting to kill Mugabe.

Yesterday Mugabe for the first time publicly revealed his reservations about Mujuru at a meeting with army generals and war veterans' leaders, telling them his deputy "is too simplistic'' to take over as president.

Zanu-PF spokesman Psychology Mazivisa said: ''Only unreasonable people would see the removal of bad apples as something that could spell catastrophic consequences for the party. Quite the opposite, Zanu-PF will come out more united and better able to tackle the economic challenges."

The demise of Mujuru and of Zanu-PF big-hitters close to her might have cleared the way for Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, a hardline long-time Mugabe acolyte known as "The Crocodile".